Sen. Portman at opiate conference in Columbus: 'This is an emergency'
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U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) delivered remarks at this week's Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities Opiate Conference in Columbus, “Advancing Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery.”
Portman, who is the author of the bipartisan, Senate-passed Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA), continued to urge the House of Representatives to pass his legislation so the president can sign it into law to immediately begin to save lives, saying that the drug epidemic is not just “another important issue that Washington needs to address,” it is “an emergency.”
“I would ask you, if you are interested, to encourage the House of Representatives to pass [CARA]," Portman said. "I would hope they would pass it as it is. Its bicameral, we have over 120 cosponsors in the House.
"My concern, as some of you know if you’ve watched me talk about this issue because I’ve on the floor of the Senate every single week since it was passed talking about this issue, is that since it passed on March 10 in the Senate, 6,300 Americans have died of overdoses. This is an urgent problem. This is not just another important issue that Washington needs to address, and there are plenty of them This is an emergency. This legislation will help. It will help be able to address the issue in our communities and it will happen quickly if we can get it passed because it does provide for evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery.
“The federal government’s not going to solve this problem. But this CARA legislation can help the federal government be a better partner with you and with so many others, non-profits and others in the trenches doing the right thing.
“We’ve talked a lot about the danger that faces our state and our communities today, there’s plenty of them. Again, what CARA is intended to do is give you the tools and give others the tools to be able to fight back. But there are also so many positive stories out there. As I go to treatment centers around the state and talk to recovering addicts who are back on their feet, back with their families, back in their jobs, I also come away with great optimism that we can address this issue. We can solve this problem.
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“I think of Chuck and Mike Rollins of Springfield, Ohio. Some of you know their story. They are twin brothers who both used heroin, and both went to jail. Chuck had been a heroin dealer. Today they run four recovery houses in Springfield.
“Not judging people—getting rid of that stigma—is a huge part of CARA. I talked about a lot of the specific elements of CARA but the broader issue is addiction is an illness. It needs to be treated as such. We need to remove the stigma so that people will come forward and get the treatment that they need.”
Portman has led the national effort to combat the drug epidemic that is devastating communities across Ohio and our country. Over the last four months in Columbus alone, Portman has hosted a roundtable with veterans to discuss how CARA expands Veterans Drug Courts, met with homeless youth in recovery at the Ohio State University Star House, and discussed how CARA provides resources for women and children in recovery at Amethyst. Portman – in speech after speech after speech after speech – has said he will not rest until CARA is signed into law so that it can begin to make a difference in people’s lives.
The measure passed the Senate on March 10 by a vote of 94-1. It is awaiting action in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Portman, who is the author of the bipartisan, Senate-passed Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA), continued to urge the House of Representatives to pass his legislation so the president can sign it into law to immediately begin to save lives, saying that the drug epidemic is not just “another important issue that Washington needs to address,” it is “an emergency.”
“I would ask you, if you are interested, to encourage the House of Representatives to pass [CARA]," Portman said. "I would hope they would pass it as it is. Its bicameral, we have over 120 cosponsors in the House.
"My concern, as some of you know if you’ve watched me talk about this issue because I’ve on the floor of the Senate every single week since it was passed talking about this issue, is that since it passed on March 10 in the Senate, 6,300 Americans have died of overdoses. This is an urgent problem. This is not just another important issue that Washington needs to address, and there are plenty of them This is an emergency. This legislation will help. It will help be able to address the issue in our communities and it will happen quickly if we can get it passed because it does provide for evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery.
“The federal government’s not going to solve this problem. But this CARA legislation can help the federal government be a better partner with you and with so many others, non-profits and others in the trenches doing the right thing.
“We’ve talked a lot about the danger that faces our state and our communities today, there’s plenty of them. Again, what CARA is intended to do is give you the tools and give others the tools to be able to fight back. But there are also so many positive stories out there. As I go to treatment centers around the state and talk to recovering addicts who are back on their feet, back with their families, back in their jobs, I also come away with great optimism that we can address this issue. We can solve this problem.
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“I think of Chuck and Mike Rollins of Springfield, Ohio. Some of you know their story. They are twin brothers who both used heroin, and both went to jail. Chuck had been a heroin dealer. Today they run four recovery houses in Springfield.
“Not judging people—getting rid of that stigma—is a huge part of CARA. I talked about a lot of the specific elements of CARA but the broader issue is addiction is an illness. It needs to be treated as such. We need to remove the stigma so that people will come forward and get the treatment that they need.”
Portman has led the national effort to combat the drug epidemic that is devastating communities across Ohio and our country. Over the last four months in Columbus alone, Portman has hosted a roundtable with veterans to discuss how CARA expands Veterans Drug Courts, met with homeless youth in recovery at the Ohio State University Star House, and discussed how CARA provides resources for women and children in recovery at Amethyst. Portman – in speech after speech after speech after speech – has said he will not rest until CARA is signed into law so that it can begin to make a difference in people’s lives.
The measure passed the Senate on March 10 by a vote of 94-1. It is awaiting action in the U.S. House of Representatives.